Frankie is now a Yankee.
The New York Yankees acquired starting pitcher Frankie Montas and reliever Luis Trivino from the Oakland Athletics for prospects Ken Waldichuk, J.P. Sears, Luis Medina and Cooper Bowman on Monday, the eve of baseball's trade deadline.
The addition of Montas, 29, gives the Yankees a front-of-the-rotation caliber starter behind Gerrit Cole. The right-hander has gone just 4-9 in 19 starts this season for an A's team that owns the second-worst record in the league, but he has a 3.18 ERA and 1.137 WHIP. Montas, who missed one start in mid-July due to a shoulder injury, is eligible for arbitration this winter and set to become a free agent after the 2023 season. He finished sixth in American League Cy Young voting last season after going 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA.
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Trivino, a 30-year-old righthander, has posted a 6.47 ERA with 10 saves in 39 appearances out of the bullpen this season. He entered the season with a 3.70 ERA over the first four years of his career.
The 24-year-old Waldichuk, a left-hander who MLB.com ranks as the Yankees' fifth-best prospect, was 2-3 with a 3.59 ERA in 11 starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre this season. Sears, 26, has gone 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in 22 innings for the Yankees this season.
The trade came three days after the Seattle Mariners acquired All-Star pitcher Luis Castillo from the Cincinnati Reds. The Yankees reportedly had interest in the 29-year-old Castillo, who at 4-4 with a 2.86 ERA this season was considered the top pitcher available ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, but were not willing to part with top-rated prospect Anthony Volpe. The Mariners gave the Reds their top prospect Noelvi Marte, third-best prospect Edwin Arroyo, fifth-best prospect Levi Stoudt and Andrew Moore. Castillo is set to face the Yankees on Wednesday in his Mariners debut.
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Earlier in the day, the Yankees traded for right-handed reliever Scott Effross in a deal that sent right-hander Hayden Wesneski, the team's No. 7 prospect, to the Chicago Cubs.
The 28-year-old Effross has a 2.66 ERA this season in 47 appearances, which is tied for second-most in the league. Wesneski, in Triple-A this season, is 6-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 19 starts.
While the 69-34 Yankees bolstered their rotation and bullpen, their top competition in the American League improved its lineup. The Houston Astros reportedly acquired first baseman Trey Mancini from the Baltimore Orioles in a three-team trade that also included the Tampa Bay Bays. The 30-year-old Mancini is hitting .268 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs this season, giving the 67-36 Astros another threat in the middle of their batting order.
